The National Rifle Association is leading a lawsuit against the City of Seattle over its tax on firearms and ammunition designed to help offset the expense of gun violence.
The recently passed legislation was sponsored by City Council president and ex-cop Tim Burgess and will institute a $25 tax on gun sales and a 5 cent tax on each round of ammunition. The city estimates the taxes would raise up to $500,000 per year. Burgess said taxpayers paid more than $12 million in 2014 to offset unpaid medical bills for gunshot victims at Harborview. The revenue from the tax would fund a two-year gun violence prevention program.
“Once again, anti-gun activists in Seattle have chosen to violate the Washington State Constitution and trample upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens,” the NRA said in a press release announcing the lawsuit.
The lawsuit comes after a deadly week in Seattle with four fatal shootings in the city including the slaying of a 23-year-old amid the nightlife crowds of Capitol Hill.
Well, that’s a total non-case, and they make themselves look more and more like a joke when they claim this is unconstitutional.
Jurisdictions can tax pretty much whatever they want. Yes, one can imagine a scenario in which they attach a $100,000 tax to each gun sale, effectively banning them, and that being found illegal; but $25/5 cents is so small as to not effectively bar anyone from gun ownership.
How many gun shops do you think there are in Seattle.There no more than 8 or 9.Thats going to be alot of tax revenue.If a person has a car they won’t shop in Seattle.They will go north or south of Seattle.You know the places.$500,000 the city will never see it
Not 8 or 9.
This law affects 2. TWO shops in Seattle.
Alternately, let’s just take Chris Rock’s suggestion and tax the hell out of Ammo – the 2nd Amendment only applies to “arms”, doesn’t say a thing about what goes in them.
Anyone who thinks the NRA is a joke, delusional, or otherwise not to be taken lightly is unfortunately incredibly mistaken:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gunned-down/
The NRA is simply put the single most effective lobby in the country. They get what they want, and people in favor of any, literally any, form of gun control don’t. Call them nuts, call them out of touch, call them a joke, but sure as hell don’t call them ineffective. It really sucks, but until politicians stop listening to the NRA, they’re going to just. Keep. Winning. Everything.
MINNEAPOLIS STAR AND TRIBUNE COMPANY v. Commissioner(1983) “Minnesota’s ink and paper tax violates the First Amendment not only because it singles out the press…” It is unconstitutional according to this case and Grosjean v. American Press Co.(1936). General taxes that capture protected rights are OK. but specialized taxes that target rights are not. Note O’Conner wrote and Stevens joined the majority opinion in Minneapolis Star Tribune Company v. Commissioner.